Favorites in battle! - 5 The Battle of Favorites! - 5

The news that a tournament needed to be held didn't hit me so much unexpectedly and sharply as it did gradually. And here is how it happened.....

Dirty_Player messaged me on ICQ, said there was some business, intrigued me, then he had to go somewhere and suggested continuing the conversation in the evening. I was intrigued all day, and then in the evening came the proposal to be the organizer. I agreed and promised that everything would be top-notch, but my experience was exactly 0.0 :D I had absolutely no idea where to start or how to even begin, but with my characteristic maximalism, I started reading about past tournaments and trying to figure things out.

What followed were very, very many questions for Pit and Dirty; the entire tournament was conducted in close contact with them. I received a lot of help—too much to list—it was simply always there and felt, and that is what matters most!

Now about the tournament:

1. For the first time in Favorites, HD-mod was officially used; this was progress.

2. Probably for the first time on ХВ in tournaments, players were given the right to choose their favorite templates, which would then be used for the tournament itself. Kostya proposed this feature, and I accepted it with enthusiasm because I had been searching and searching for something that this particular tournament was missing, and here it was... just what was needed! I carried this idea forward to my next tournament "One for All and All for One"

3. For the first time, strong official recommendations were made urging players to give up autosaves; over time, it is evident that the understanding of the uselessness of autosaves is strengthening in the minds of players.

4. For the first time on ХВ in tournaments with a group stage, a rule was applied where group winners immediately form the upper winner's bracket, and those who took second place form the lower loser's bracket in the 2nd stage of the competition as Double Elimination. This rule reduced the number of games without incentive, because there became a big difference between taking 1st or 2nd place.

5.For the first time on ХВ in our forum's internal tournaments, progress was made in relations with our friends and colleagues from other countries. Excluding Russian-speaking participants, there were 6 people, all high-level players. By the way, not a single foreigner had participated in the first three Favorites. It's a pity that one of them later turned out to be a maphacker, but that is another story. Since the tournament began to take on an international character, Pit for LM added a post in English. This added seriousness and officiality to the tournament. In my opinion, it was this year that the tournament became even more beloved, popular, and larger in significance and scale.

6. A small innovation was made in the form of an additional post on the 1st page of the thread with headers of participants' reports and links to their full descriptions. Later something happened to the forum—apparently, the creator changed the number of messages per page and they got shifted—but the essence stuck and is now used in almost all tournaments.

7. And finally, this tournament became the most visited in the history of ХВ and remains so to this day!!!

GoedenDag, please do not mislead people :)

In Favorites 4, 80 participants started, 5 players entered the battle instead of those eliminated, and 8 players who officially applied remained outside the tournament because there was no room due to the regulations. Two players were denied participation. Total: 93 official applications from players who were not denied play, but they were full participants; however, due to the regulations, they were not admitted and remained in case of replacements.

In Favorites 5, 80 players also participated at the start (including tie-breaker games, another 4 players), then 3 more players came as replacements during the tournament, and one remained in reserve (I am counting only official tournament applications in the threads). Also, two players were denied participation. Total: 88 players participated in the tournament.

All conclusions were made based on personal available facts; if I was wrong in any points—let me know. If some points were not "for the first time," then I apologize for my ignorance, we will correct it if necessary

And what about the tournament itself?

There were many sensations in the tournament. Starting from the first results, players considered a priori "weaker" began to win against their more renowned opponents. At that moment, it was noticeable how the average level of players had grown, and it became clear that recognized TOPs would not have it so easy.


The registration was proceeding in its own way, but toward the end of the registration "abnormal activity" appeared :D and Maretti, who had registered, jumped onto the step of the departing train; then, as the train began to gain momentum and the conductors threw coal into the furnace, another player—Tiamath—grabbed onto Maretti's "trouser leg." At the next stations, new passengers joined, having been late to buy tickets on time, while meanwhile the train had already gained speed and could not be stopped by the remaining people wishing to get on. These were 8 players whom the engineer also wanted to take, but stopping such a heavy and powerful machine with 85 people was no longer possible....

The train moved on, and the passengers who jumped onto the step gradually began to push others—those who had taken more comfortable seats—and having gathered at one table in their own general-purpose carriages, they began moving toward business class through plackarta seats, not even stopping at comfortable compartments....
Passengers who gave way to them not of their own free will tried to understand who these people were, what were their names? But no one could see their faces to understand, only a torn trouser leg was remembered by some watching the unknowns step over the thresholds...

Meanwhile, one of the regular clients of this train and route, who at the time was stunned by the audacity and pressure of the "upstarts," did not think long but went head-on via the most difficult path. He understood that he would no longer be able to catch the enemies directly by their tracks because the door latch was tightly locked from the other side; perhaps he had already lost hope...

but he did not give up, he saw a glimmer of fire through the metal floor covering and descended there... Here, the stoker awaited him and said the passage was only over there, pointing with a dirty but firm finger to the side. Looking in the direction of the finger, passenger J saw many people and even his acquaintances, and he realized that almost all of them were here for the same reason as he was. And he understood that they had the same tasks, the same position. And the SLAYING began! The days when one could relax a bit were forgotten; the time for heavy and harsh struggle had come....

While battles were being fought in the narrow, dark, and damp basement, the interests of the train's punishers crossed. They stopped, looked at each other, and at that moment everyone recognized them—Maretti with the torn trouser leg and Tiamath with a piece of fabric in his fist. They stood and watched, they waited, but did not know for what, and then they heard approaching footsteps beneath their feet; who was striking sparks with spurs against iron, they did not know, but they understood that it was better to find out later... Soon everything was decided...

The basement hatch is kicked open, Mr. J emerges, exhausted from the heavy journey, and before him is another opponent, transitioning into a mathematical infinity; it no longer matters what his name is, for he has traveled so far, the battle simply continues, Tiamath is defeated, and the scrap of fabric falls to the floor. Then things got hot—oh, if only there weren't such trials... Weakness takes over Javdeta's body, emergency brake, desert 2sm4e3, Maretti emerges alone, he is met by an archangel and lifted to the summit ...

Now it's all over; was it all for nothing, thinks Mr. J... And only the recognition of individual fighters, the engineer, and the stokers faintly soothe his vanity, but together they make him stand up and move toward a new path, stealing glances at the horizon....

P.S. Present days.
GoD vs Javdet

Last time in the final battle, the archangel of the human Castle took Mr. J's opponent to reap the rewards. Now the lord of the heavens himself has descended to earth. But why??? To reward??? or once again subject him to the trial of time???